Improvement in wrenches



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

ROBERT S. STENTON, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

lli/IPROVEMENT IN WRENCHES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 56,628, dated July 24, 1866.

To all whom it may concer/n:

Be it known that I, ROBERT S. STENTON, of the city of Brooklyn, county ot' Kings, and State of NewYork,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wrenches; and I do hereby declare that the followin gis a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

It has been a matter of considerable consideration among machinists, and many efforts have been made to produce a good wrench.,1 Numerous devices have been made and patented, the most ot' them more or less objectionable.

It has been my object to produce for my own use a wrench combining lightness, coinpactness, strength, and durability, always having in View the practical working of the instrument, the wrench being made of malleable iron, except the adjusting-screw D. I do not, however, conne myself to malleable iron alone, as the wrench may be made of wrought iron or steel, or of parts of either wrought or malleable.

I construct my wrench with the handle straight or curved, as seen at Fig. l. I prefer the curved plan, on account of its strength and adaptability to many purposes where the straight wrench -could not be used. I also construct the jawsof the wrench A B at an angle of sixty degrees from the plane of the shank C C, thus grasping the hexagon nut on three sides, as seen at Fig. l.

Extending from the rear lower end of the shank C, at its junction with the handle G, I place the projection or screw-rest J, which is solid and in one piece with the handle C and the shank C.

In making this projection an integral portion of the shank C and' handle 0,1 obtain the greatest possible amount of strength at a most importantpart-a part known to be a most vulnerable one, if not the most so of a wrench on this principle. All the strain of the downward pressure is borne by this projection, which has hitherto been in the form of a collar or ferrule attached to the bar by mechanical contrvances that were in themselves weak or inefficient vor weakening in their tendency. By making this projection J 1solid and in one piece with the shank and handle I remedy this difficulty and others incidental to the plan of making it detached or in a separate piece. This project-ion may be in front or rear or either side or' the shank, according to the position vof the screw, without altering the character of this invention.

The handle hereinbefore named is of metal, curved or straight. I prefer to use such. They are stronger, cleaner, and less liable to accumulate dirt or grease.

A wrench thus made is constructed with more strength and in fewer pieces but I can also adapt this principle to a wrench with the ordinary wooden handle. The projection, being formed, as now, at the junction ot the shank and of the tang, and in one piece with them, would rest on and in the top of a wooden handle secured to the tang, in the usual way, by a nut or a riveted washer at the end.

The hexagon has many advantages over the square nut, not only in beauty, but in certain positions it is more easily adjusted. In using the ordinary screw-wrench with right-angled jaws you can only grasptwo sides ot' the hexagon nut to overcome the friction of the screw. This is not sufficient in most instances to tighten properly or to loosen the same, as the case may be, without abrading the corners in such a manner as to render the nut useless.

Another cause of abrasion arises from not adjusting the wrench to it the nut properly, thus slipping, and by repetition gradually reducing the nuts from the angle to a circle.

The first difficulty is certainly removed, and the second comparatively so.

It will be seen that the adjusting-screw D (see Fig. 2) has its bearings at I and J, the shoulder of the journal resting against the head B and the projection at J, thus supporting and giving additional strength to the head, and making the shank almost equal in width to the square of its opening, thus preventing any spring of the shank when in action.

At the lower end of the screw D, I place a nut or rosette or its equivalent, D, contiguous to the projection J on the handle and shank C, so that when the handle is grasped with the hand the nut or rosette can be moved with the thumb to operate the lower jaw of the wrench.

A wrench on my principle, with the nut of the screw contiguous to the solid projection J, can be made Without extending the screw beyond the length of the inner jaw by forming a recess in theshank C to receive the nut and keep the screw in place. This screw working in the inner jaw may be placed in the rear, in front, or on either side.

It will be observed that the jaw A is made much longer than B from the plane of the shank C O, so that when a square object is placed therein the distances will be equal, or as nearly so as is required for all practical uses, from 4 to 5 and 6 to 7, as indicated by the red lines. (See Fig. 2.)

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to give a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon.

Figures l and 2 are perspective views of my wrench, showing the manner of griping the hexagon nut. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the same with right-angle jaws.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

I make my wrench wholly of cast-iron made malleable, or of wrought-iron or steel, or parts of each, as the case may be. The shank and the projection J and the handle O O are cast in one piece. The jaws A and B are cored out very near the size ofthe shank C C, so that they Will require but little work in fitting. The head jaw B is cored out; but the core should be smaller than that used for the lower jaw, A, in order that the jaw B may be firmly affixed to the shank O. I have recourse to every possible means to render the wrench as strong at this point as it would be if the head and bar were cast or forged in one piece. In the first place the head B is made hot, and while in that state, the lower jaw, A, and screw D being in place upon the bar or shank C and projection J, the head B is tightly driven down upon the shank C, and in cooling shrinks thereon. rIhe hole at the top of the head B being countersunk, the end of the shank is riveted down, so as to ill the countersinks. Ithen drill a hole through the head and shank and insert a steel or' iron pin or screw, which is also riveted on both sides; and, finally, if needed before the wrench is polished, I braze them.

The jaw A is also cored out at G H. The hole at G is made a little larger, as indicated by the dotted lines, to allow the plain part of the screw to enter. rIhe balance of the hole is tapped for the screw Dto work in. rIhe screw D is turned up of wrought-iron or steel, and having journals on each end to iit into corresponding holes I J in jaw B and projection at J. `(See Fig. 2.)

Having all the parts fitted, it will be seen that taking the screw D and giving it a few turns in the movable jaw A, then slippingthe said jaw on the shank C C and letting the journal into the hole J, then taking the head jaw B and fastening the same, as hereinbefore stated, on the end ofthe said shank, the other journal on the end of the screw entering the hole I, all is then together, and the wrench, when polished, is complete.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,lis-

Arranging the jaws upon a straight shank, whether the former be perpendicular or inclined to the latter, and operating the movable jaw by a screw supported at its lower end in a step formed in the solid metal of the shank, and with a rosette, or its equivalent, for turning the same, located contiguous to said step, all constructed substantially as set forth.

R. S. STENTON.

Witnesses R. V. DE GUINON, WM. T. MILLER. 

